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March 8, 1932. H. F. DUNBAR MEANS FOR SUPPORTING CAR COUPLERS Filed March 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet March 8, 1932. H. F. DUNBAR 1,848,519

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING CAR COUPLERS Filed March 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 II L) Patented Mar. 8, 1932 UN-EE" STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD F. DUNZBAR, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MoGONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, or rrr'rseonen, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENN- SYLVAN IA MEANS FOR SUPPORTING CAR COUPLER/S Application filed March 5, 1929. Serial No. 344,408,

,My invention relates to means for supporting car couplers in operative relation to the railway vehicles upon which they are mounted and is particularly concerned with pre venting the-sagging or drooping of the heads of couplers which reciprocate in draft and bufling. I I I i The principal object of the invention is to provide a device which may be associated with the head of a car coupler so as to permit the coupler to be supported by a carrier which extends under the coupler head.

Car couplers generally inuse at the present time, and notably the well-known standard D- coupler, are formed with large heavy heads, while the supporting carrier for the coupler is commonly located to the rear of the coupler head a suificientdistance to afford requisite clearance enabling the coupler to'move rearwardly toa somewhat greater extent than the full normal travel of the draft gear with which the coupler is associated. As the-coupler carrier when thus located to permit draft and bufling movements of the coupler supportingly cooperates with the latter at a point considerably to the rear of center of gravity to the coupler, the said coupler tends to sag or droop at the head end and as wear takes place in the means provided for attaching the coupler to the draft gear such drooping or sagging increases. This is detrimental to the proper operation ofthe coupler mechanism for, in order to provide for the properoperation of parts in the act of coupling and also to afford the requisite flexibility for vertical and horizontal angling when in service, couplers are formed with contours providing horizontal clearance between opposing couplerswhen the latter are in coupler relation, and if the heads of the couplers droop'the extent of such clearance is in effect diminished. To insure proper and efficient operationit is," therefore, important to maintain car couplers in hor1 zontal position; and itis advantageous that this desirable result shall be accomplished in a simple and elfective manner and by devices which may be associated with couplers of well-known form. I I

Generally'stated, the principal feature of "the invention consists in mounting a coupler supporting member upon the under side of the head of a car coupler, and in providing a coupler carrier which extends under and forms a bearing for sustaining said supporting member, the coupler head and the said supporting member having overlapping portions or'projections to preventor limit horizontal shifting of the said supporting memher with respect to the coupler, and means being provided for normally maintaining said supporting member in assembled relation to the coupler head. Other features of the invention pertaining to advantageous structural forms and combi nations will hereinafter appear and be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings showing a preferred form of the invention,

Figure 1 is a View, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a mechanism embodying the invention, a portion of a striking casting of a railway car being shown associated therewith. Y

Figure 2' is an inverted plan view of the coupler head and the coupler supporting member associated therewith.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the coupler sup porting member, portions of the coupler upon which it is mounted being shown in dot and dash lines to indicate the assembled relation of the parts.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the 5-5, Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the coupler supporting member taken on the line 4--4, Figure 3 but looking in the direction of the arrows 66.

line

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on the whose under surface is provided with projec- V ing of the latter with respect tothe coupler. As shown, the projections on the under sur-.

face of the head of car couplers now in use may; conveniently be, and preferably are,

availed of as theprojections for cooperating withthe supporting block 3. I In the type of, coupler illustrateda portionjof-the,usual flange which borders'the lock'opening Gin he ewer e of he oupler h ad v ti y overlaps the adjacent side wall 7 of the supre ti gm rfi-so as to fu t on s a S p for preventing the supportingblock from shifting toward the knuckle sideof the couplerhead, If desired, and as is preferred in order to afford a long and effective bearing, the side wall 7 may at its rear end also have overlapping engagement with the usual shoulder 8'with which the'D-coupler is formed to the rear ofthe lock opening 6, the shoulder 8 beinga continuationof the portion -of the flange bordering thelock opening, but being of'somewhat less height than said flange.

, The means provided on the coupler. head f rme -ent re h supp rt ne mem r- 3. f om shifting laterally toward the guard arm side Y of the coupler, preferably are spaced transversely from the stopshoulders or'projections Ex and 8 -for-a distance su-ficient to insure stability of the memberS againstundue'twisting with respect to the couplen jheadzwhen the 7 device: is in serviceQ-Instead of providing special projections to constitutesaid means, the P r ion-:9v otthe depe ding fl ge at t forward end or face of the coupler, together h. e e s l surr unding he P v r ing for the usual knuckle opener lever ofthe coupler, may be conveniently availed of to prevent lateral shifting of the block 3 toward the guard arm side ofthe coupler head, For overlapping the stop projection 9 so as to co ep r e th re h, h s rp rti-ns'm m er is preferably provided with an arm 11 which extends; forwardly fromithe adjacent side wall 12 of said supporting member; and for overl'appingly engaging the side of; the boss the Supporting member 3 is formed with a face or shoulder;l3 corresponding in curvature to the. exterior of, said boss. Forward movement of the coupler supporting member 3 withzrespect to the coupler head is limited by the engagement of the forward face'of the transversely extending bar 14 of the member I With/the transversely extending shoulder 7 with respect to the coupler head, the trans- ]verse bar 14 also serves as attic for connecting the sidewalls 7and 12ofthe block 3 at their rear upper corners. "The side walls of the member 3 are also rigidly connected at their lower ends by ahorizontally extending web 17 wh ch .fOrms a bearing plate for cooperating'with the upper surface of the wear shoe 18 with which the coupler carrier ispreferably-provided. To minimize the width ef the coupler carrier longitudinallyg-of the car, while at the same time insuring that. the coupler supporting member 3 'overlapthe carrier 4: in all positionsiof draft shall amply and-buffing the coupler may-occupy, the bottom plateorbearing member 17 of theblock 3-prjeferably projects rearwardly somewhat beyondwthe coupler head and extends for wardly into overlapping relation with the lock opening ,6 in the couplerlhead, the said plate 17 being suitably recessed, as indicated at 19, so as to provide clearance for the coupler lock and its actuating'mechanism.

The supporting member or block '3'is preferablymaintained in proper assembled relation to the coupler head 1 by means of a bolt 20 which passes through a perforated lug 21with which the block 3 is provided on the side toward the coupler knuckleandthrough an opening 22 formed in the lower wall of the coupler head adjacent the knuckle side thereof} This jbolt, which is so positioned that it does-not interfere with any of the movable elements of the car coupler, prevents vertical movement of the. coupler supporting block 3 with respectto the coupler head and thus, in conjunction with the interlocking project-ions with which said lock and head i are provided, insures themaintenance "of the blo'ckin correct operating position. QIclaimz- I e q l. The Combination with a car coupler having a head provided onits lowerside with a lock opening, of means for supporting the same comprising a member removably connected to the coupler head and positioned beneath the latter and movable therewith, a coupler carrier extending under and supportingly engaging. said coupler supporting member, and a bolt forconneeting said supporting member to the coupler head, said head andjsaid supporting member each being provided with an aperature for receiving said bolt and having cooperating portions on opposite sides of's'aid lock opening for preventing said supporting memberfrom shifting horizontally with respect to the coupler he'ad,;:and said coupler supporting member 7 being formed with a horizontally extending wall vertically overlapping said flange and bottom plate overlapping opposite sides of being provided with a portion overlapping said lock opening and slidably engaging said said projection transversely of the coupler.

coupler carrier.

2. The combination with a car coupler, of means for supporting the same comprising a member removably connected to the coupler head and positioned beneath the latter and movable therewith, and a coupler carrier extending under and supporting said coupler supporting member, said coupler head being provided on its lower side with a lock opening, and said coupler supporting member being formed at its lower end with a bottom plate which extends rearwardly of said lock opening and overlaps opposite sides of said opening.

'llie combination with a car coupler, of means for supporting the same comprising a coupler supporting member removably connected to the coupler head and positioned beneath the latter and movable therewith, and

a coupler carrier mounted on the car and extending under and engaging said coupler supporting member, said supporting member being provided with laterally spaced side walls and having a bottom bearing plate connecting said side walls, said bottom plate being recessed to afford clearance for coupler locKing means.

4. The combination with a car coupler, of means for supporting the same comprising a coupler supporting member detachably connected to the coupler head and positioned beneath the latter and movable therewith, and a coupler carrier rigidly mounted on the railway vehicle with which said coupler is associated, said carrier extending under and supportingly engaging the coupler supporting member, the head of said coupler being provided at its forward end on its under side with a depending flange portion and having a lock opening and a depending flange portion adjacent said lock opening, and said coupler supporting member being provided with a forwardly extending arm adapted to cooperate with said first-named flange portion and having a portion adapted to cooperate with the said flange portion adjacent said lock opening.

5. The combination with a car coupler, of means for supporting the same comprising a coupler supporting member detachably connected to the coupler head and positioned beneath the latter and movable therewith, and

a coupler carrier extending under and sup- In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HAROLD F. DUNBAR. 

